Adventures in a Distant Forest
by Saerafina
Summary: Akane runs off on her own to a dangerous forest, this time to find some herbs, but rumors of attacks in the area have her family worried. When something disturbs her camp one day, will Ranma be able to save her? Ranma x Akane plot with fluff .
1. Chapter 1: In the Enchanted Forest

  
  
Chapter 1: In the Enchanted Forest

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This is just a romantic fanfic about Ranma and Akane that has nothing to do with the series. The main people that show up are Ranma and Akane, maybe Ryouga at the end. I don't know yet. It's my first fanfic so I hope that it turns out okay. The names of plants and plants themselves are all made up. I hope you can put up with my strange story. Also, I don't own Ranma or anyone else. This story will most likely turn lemon towards the end, though it's not finished yet. Here goes:

Notes:

--- change of setting or point of view

""dialogue

Thank you also for all the reviews! I thought it would be best to edit this chapter first, before I add another. I'm going to fix any small details in this one, and probably make it longer as well, with more suspense at the end Thank you The Shadows, I am going to change around Dr. Tofu's part a little bit and see how that goes (I think I'll take Kasumi out for now), as well as make the thoughts that I had, as you pointed out, initially put in italics, so that they will be noticed ) Thanks to Nikka as well!

I added more of what I'd written to this chapter instead of putting it in the next one, so hopefully it has more suspense and excitement now

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up and running! I've been busy and moving around, but I'm back, and I hope to finish this story and add a couple others that I've had in my head soon! Any comments or criticisms welcome, but please, be gentle XD

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_In a distant forest of Japan: _

"They must be around here somewhere... let's see. They're supposed to have long, star-shaped leaves, and little white flowers, and they grow in the shade of oaks and the tallest trees of the forest.... hmm..." Akane mumbled to herself as she sorted through the greenery on the forest floor.

"Ahh here's some!"

Her face lit up as she picked the plants up by their roots, careful to keep every part of the plant intact.

"They're so pretty too!" She admired the little flowers dancing in the wind as the sun fought its way through the trees, leaving spotted areas of light and dark far below.

"And Dr. Tofu said they're perfect for healing! I don't see why it was such a problem for me to come all the way up here...It's not like I can't take care of myself on my own..."

She continued making her way through the forest floor, humming to herself in tune with the birds overhead. She felt so relaxed and at peace. It was so nice to be here... without Ranma who kept getting in her way...

_That jerk... thinks I can't even take care of myself...who needs him anyways? _

Akane tried to lead her thoughts away from him, but they invariably kept returning to him.

_Why can't I get him out of my head? It's his fault! It must be because he isn't here... _A sad look fell upon her face, quickly replaced by anger. _If he was here I bet he'd be complaining right now...it's so much quieter without him around... _

Her heart whispered to her: "and lonelier..."

"That's enough for today I think," Akane exclaimed as she looked down at her basket. It was overflowing with the plant's distinguishable white blossoms and thick roots. She didn't want to take too many from the forest floor, or there wouldn't be any left next year. And besides, in the last two days she'd been here, trekking through the forest, she had gathered at least four basketfuls of "Adonis healers," which was enough to last Dr. Tofu until at least next summer.

_Still, I hope he won't have to use them too soon... _

Akane remembered what Dr. Tofu had told her about the plants that were so rarely found anywhere but in the mystical Byakkuya Mori. The place had earned its name "Forest of the white night" because of the incredible number of fireflies that lit up the rivers and trees at night, making the forest glow with a mystical light. The white flowers, that only grew in this region for some obscure reason, possessed extraordinary healing powers.

If you ground up the roots and leaves and mixed them with a little water, then applied them to open wounds, they would heal incredibly fast, and more often than not left no scar. The sorts of wounds it treated though were near deadly: deep cuts and gashes in the skin that oftentimes needed stitching alongside the plant formula. Rumors of the flower petals containing anesthetic made the plants even more valuable and hard to find.

This forest spread across several mountains of the countryside, but these flowers only grew in the dark valleys under much shade, which was why Akane had camped beside the riverbank at the very bottom of the valley. She headed over to her tent and quickly deposited the plants, then got her pack of food.

_Thank goodness Kasumi packed so much food for me... I'm starving! _She withdrew several rice balls and ate heartily as she stared at the magnificent view her temporary residence gave her.

A small waterfall further upstream filled the air with dew that made the entire surrounding green look fresh and full of life. The leaves were very dense and the weather was quite cold so deep in the shade, but the sunlight still poked through random areas, dotting across the river and making the water sparkle. Occasionally, small fish could be seen playing under the water, and when Akane dipped her hand in, the water was refreshingly cool to the touch, and yet surprisingly not freezing.

_This forest isn't that dangerous...I don't know why everyone thought it would be so bad. I haven't seen a single animal since I came here, other than the fish... _Akane remembered the week before she had left on her hike:

-------------------------------------Flashback----------------------------------------------

"Byakkuya mori? Isn't that the place where several people mysteriously disappeared last week?" Nabiki chimed in.

"It is, but I need to get those herbs soon because I'm really running out. I don't know anywhere else to find them," Dr. Tofu remarked.

"Why don't you send Ranma? It would be good training for him!" Genma suggested.

"Forget it, I'm not going to some lousy old fore- Alright alright! I'll go." Ranma reluctantly gave in to Genma and Soun's stern stares.

"Don't you have that martial arts competition next week Ranma?" Nabiki reminded him.

"Oh no! I almost forgot about that! Can it wait a week Dr. Tofu?"

"Well-"

"-Don't worry about it Dr. Tofu. I'll go," Akane stated.

Everyone stared at Akane. Soun was the first to speak:

"Why don't we have a family trip there? With all of us going it will be safer, and it will be a nice vacation."

"No, it's fine dad. I'll go by myself. Now that Kasumi's helping at Dr. Tofu's clinic she's too busy to go, Nabiki's always busy somewhere and she doesn't like hiking very much, so it would be much faster if you let me go alone. It's good exercise, and I heard that place is so beautiful!"

"NO WAY!"

"WHY NOT Ranma?" Akane angrily stared back at Ranma, her brow creasing in frustration.

"There's no way you could take care of yourself alone without getting lost is all."

"Oh yeah?"

"I don't really think it's safe to trust this forest," her father added.

"And how do you plan on getting there?" Ranma asked.

"I'll hike there."

"You're too weak for tha-" SMACK! Akane's fist hit Ranma's stomach causing him to double over as she stormed out of the room. _I'll show you that I can take care of myself. Just you wait Ranma... _

"Well I think we should wait a bit and sort this out sweat drop," Nabiki suggested.

"Good idea Nabiki. I'll just be going now. I have more patients to attend to."

"I'll be right over Dr. Tofu!" Kasumi called after him, poking her face out of the kitchen she'd been working in.

"Huh? What? Oh, yes Kasumi, of course," Tofu began to apologize to the wall for bumping into it before heading out of the door.

"Oh dear, I hope he's alright," Kasumi worried. "Maybe I should go check that's he's okay..." She hurried off after him towards his office, forgetting the meal she'd been cooking in the kitchen.

"I better go too to make sure Dr. Tofu doesn't break anything," Nabiki followed him.

-----1 week later, at Dr. Tofu's:

"Are you sure you want to do this Akane? It is dangerous. I heard lots of stories of wild animals, even tigers, in that forest. Several people have disappeared in there and never returned."

"Don't worry about me Dr. Tofu. You know I can protect myself, right?"

"That's true. Just be careful okay?"

"Of course."

"Do you have everything you need? Maybe we should wait until your father, Genma and Ranma get back from the competition."

"No, no it's fine. I'll be back before then anyways... and my sisters understand. Kasumi made me lots and lots of food to bring on the trip."

"Good. Well last thing then. Take this. It has any first aid stuff you might need, just in case."

Dr. Tofu handed Akane a small package full of ointments, creams and bandages. Several pills were inside it too.

"Thank you very much! I promise I'll be back soon!" Akane waved back at the doctor as she left his office, and headed on her way.

-------------------------------------End of Flashback----------------------------------------

_Perhaps father might not like my being here, but I'll get back before he does anyways, _Akane smiled to herself. _I'll be back by tomorrow! And I didn't have a single problem! _It had been 4 days since she'd left, and everything had gone smoothly according to plan. She was even able to get some training in between meals and searching for the plants.

"One last walk around this beautiful forest won't hurt," she exclaimed. "I'm going to miss this peace and quiet when I get back."

Quickly finishing her meal, she skipped along the riverbank and waded through it playfully to reach the other side. The water reached barely above her knees, and felt soothing against her legs. A splash that was not her own was heard in the distance, but she paid no attention to it as she continued on her way. On the other side, hanging from the branches of some of the lower trees, grew big and exotic purple flowers. She stood on her tiptoes to take in their beguiling scent. _They smell so wonderful! _

She gathered a small bouquet of the vivid purple flowers and climbed up the tree with the help of several vines, lying back against the trunk. Small bits of sunlight poked at her face, as she closed her eyes to relax and slowly drifted off to sleep with the bouquet resting in her lap.

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Nobu focused on every individual plant with his camera as he traveled through the forest. No other reporter had dared come into this forest, let alone with only one other person. Come to think of it, few people ever came here any more, because of the rumors of disappearances.

Nobu and his fellow reporter Natsuki had decided to enter the forest following some rumors that a girl had come by a couple days ago. They had indeed found tracks, and some people they had asked on their way had wondered if she was going to disappear inside the forest too, taken away by some monster... _I bet it's all made up_..._I'll get the best footage of this place, and uncover the truth! _

He slowly advanced through the forest, making sure to catch every different variety of plant with his camera. Natsuki carefully reported everything she saw. _Yes, it's the first time I get to do some live filming! _Suddenly, his and Natsuki's attention was caught by an abandoned camp close to the river. _Someone else is in the forest? _

"It appears that someone besides us has come to admire the view," Natsuki exclaimed sweetly while looking at the camp, still in view of the camera. She held up the microphone close to her lips as she reappeared in the frame.

"Oh look, I see someone over there!" She pointed to the shadow of a person across the river, up in the trees.

"Is it really a person?" Natsuki continued to interest the viewers with her live reporting, "or perhaps a ghost or monster of some kind... "

As they got closer they noticed the distant shape of a girl.

"It appears to be a young woman, alone in the woods. Perhaps she is a lost spirit."

Just then the sound of crackling branches made Natsuki start.

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"Eh Ranma, come look at this! They're reporting about some girl in the forest you were supposed to go to. Maybe she's an evil spirit. Good job you didn't go this week eh my boy?" Genma called Ranma over to the television in their little hotel room. The competition had been going smoothly, with Ranma's continuous wins. Genma and Soun in the meantime just ate as much food as they could find.

"I bet it's all made up," Ranma remarked, but came over to see the television anyway.

_"It appears the young girl has short, dark blue hair.... And she's resting in a tree... wait! What is this?"_

_The sound of crackling branches continued to increase, as it slowly approached Natsuki._

"That poor reporter," Soun exclaimed as he watched the events unfold at the edge of his seat.

_Some sort of shadow is coming towards us... it looks like a cat. No, a tiger!! Oh, it looks like it's going to attack the young woman in the tree! Quickly, we have to warn her!" The reporter Natsuki grew frantic. Nobu the cameraman focused in on the girl, just as Ranma began drinking his tea._

"Oh my, that girl looks like..." Genma began.

"It does, it does.... Can it be?" Soun added.

The two grown men leaned towards the television, then gasped as they exclaimed at the same time: "It's Akane!"

"Pffffhhtt!" Ranma's tea came back out of his mouth. "What the hell is Akane doing there?"

"I have no idea..." Genma began.

"My poor little girl is going to be attacked! What can we do? I talked to her before I left. I told her not to go..."

They were all suddenly drawn back to the television by the reporter's words:

_"This animal is like nothing I've ever seen before. It looks like a tiger, but its eyes are purple and...it's climbing that tree!"_

__

All three men's eyes were riveted on the screen as they started at Akane's shape in the trees. The strange animal advanced towards the reporters, and the cameraman suddenly turned and ran. A loud roar came from the television, but only the ground could be seen because the camera had been dropped. It was soon picked up, and instead of where Akane's shape had been, Ranma glimpsed a flurry of violet flowers flying in the air, then slowly falling to the ground. Several terrified screams were heard, before the reporter could be seen running ahead of the cameraman.

_AKANE! Was that really her? Is it possible? _

Genma and Soun had obviously been thinking the same thing. Genma rapidly picked up the phone and called the Tendo residence.

"Moshi moshi?" came Kasumi's cool voice.

"Is Akane there??" Genma asked, dearly hoping that the answer was yes.

"Umm... yes, well...let's see-"

Kasumi's voice was cut short and replaced by Nabiki's, "-who's this?"

"It's Genma Saotome."

"Akane went out today, but don't worry she'll be home by tomorrow. She went to spend the night at a friend's house."

"What's the phone number?"

"Well, you see her friend lives in a new apartment and they don't have phones installed yet..."

"Tell me, is my little girl in the Byakkuya mori?" Soun took the phone and asked, nearly in tears.

"Dad? I... how did you know? Wait, did something happen to her?"

Soun broke into tears that overflowed down his face, and this was all the confirmation that Ranma needed. He violently punched the wall, sending splinters flying. _DAMNIT!! That stupid girl!! Why did she have to go off by herself? _Ranma was so furious, but more even than that was the fear that she was hurt, somewhere alone in the forest. He quickly threw most of his belongings together and dashed off, knowing what he had to do.

"I'm going to bring her back!" he exclaimed right before leaving. "Don't worry about the competition, just enjoy the food!" then ran out the door.

Once outside, Ranma ran as fast as his legs could carry him, through the city in direction of the dense forest far ahead. He had no idea where to look, or where exactly he should be going, but he knew he would not stop until he found her, and hoped that it would not be too late.

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Akane lazily stretched and smiled as she drifted out of sleep and sat up. She had dreamed of Ranma again, which was becoming more and more frequent these days. Of course, in the dreams he was nice, and he liked her cooking, he had no other fiancees, and he was so sweet... A faint blush crept up her cheeks...

Akane turned her head and gazed through the leaves in the trees to see a reporter and cameraman standing on the opposite bank. They appeared to be looking at her. _Whatever for? I wish they would just go away so everything can be quiet and peaceful again. _But the reporter would not be quiet. Suddenly, Akane heard large branches cracking in the distance. Had even more people ventured into the forest when they realized it wasn't dangerous? Then she looked to her right across the trees and realized she was dead wrong.

Some strange beast with glowing purple eyes was perched up high in a tree and stared straight at her cruelly, then began advancing. Akane panicked, and didn't know what to do.

_Just stay calm, stay calm... _But the reporter was already making lots of noise, which visibly angered the tiger-like monster even more. It began jumping through the trees, and Akane tried to move but realized in a panic that there was no where else she could go. The cameraman was still there, but the camera had fallen to the ground and he was desperately trying to rescue it. Akane shielded her body with her hands as the monster jumped her way, and suddenly, it was on the same tree as her.

She stood up on the branch, and all the beautiful violet flowers fell to the ground. Grabbing a wayward branch she prepared to swing at the monster, she returned its angry gaze with one of her own, thought she was trembling inside.

It roared fiercely and jumped towards Akane. She swung the branch, but it only hit the side of the monster before it pounced on her and tore a gash in her side with its razor-sharp claws.

"AAAAHHHH!!!!!!" Her blood-curdling scream of pain and fear resonated through the forest as the claws pulled through the thin skin tissue of Akane's side. The reporters then screamed as soon as they realized what was going on, and ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. Akane was losing blood steadily, and feared that she would die then and there. She tried to prepare herself as best as she could for the next blow the monster would deliver, only to be viciously knocked off the branch as the monster ran after the reporters. Clearly it liked wounding its targets before finishing them. And it liked running after its prey.

Akane fell to the ground with a hard thud, and the world turned black around her as she thought: _Ranma... I'm sorry... I love... _the world rapidly disappearing before her as she fell unconscious.

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Thanks for the reviews! I'm having trouble getting the spacing to come out on here correctly, even though it looks fine when I have it in Word. Anyways, I hope that this is better. I actually have more written but I don't want to put it all up at once because then when people want more they'll have to wait for longer.. I thought it would be better this way. Any reviews welcome!


	2. Chapter 2: Aftermath of the Attack

Chapter 2: Aftermath of the Attack

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Since I was so late in updating the first chapter, I decided to put chapter two up right away! This has more mushy stuff, I guess... if you can call it that. But before anything important and romantic happens Akane has to wake up! XD So, I hope you enjoy, and feedback is greatly appreciated . I just wanted to create some tension and worry for Ranma, so things will be more dramatic and important when she wakes up.

Notes:

--- change of setting or point of view

""dialogue

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Ranma ran the entire day until dusk, his muscles aching beyond belief, and finally reached a place in the forest that he had recognized from the television. Which way from here? He headed in one direction, only to discover the destroyed bodies of the reporter he had seen on television, and another he guessed had been the cameraman.

Disgusted, he turned away. He was desperate to find Akane alive, and clung to the small piece of hope inside him that told him she still lived. His nerves had been torn almost to shreds when he had discovered the bodies, and only felt vague relief after he had been 100 sure none of them were Akane.

He continued through the deep valley of the forest, the light decreasing steadily as night approached and the shadows grew deeper.

_A camp! It's Akane's camp! Akane, please be okay... _He ran forward, into the tent, and around the entire surrounding area of the tent, only to discover that there was no one there. Where had she last been? Perhaps that location provided some clues. The river! She had been across the river!

Barely able to see in the distance due to the dusk's darkness, he crossed the river and examined the surroundings on the other side. Where was the tree? There! He ran straight for it, and realized that it, too, was empty. His foot suddenly stepped in something wet, and he glanced down to see the worst site in his entire life.

Akane lay, unconscious, in a pool of her own blood. Beautiful violet lilies lay around her, half-crushed beneath her weight and stained with blood. A terrible gash tore from the left side of her waist diagonally up to the right side of her chest. Her skin, lit by the pale moonlight, felt cold to the touch, and she lay completely motionless on the ground, her face pale as death. _Akane! Please! Don't leave me like this... _

He desperately felt for a pulse, and almost cried with relief when he found a very faint one at the base of her neck. _If she loses any more blood, she'll die! _Ranma felt for breathing and discovered that she was still breathing, barely. The air came in and out of her lungs in tiny, weak puffs.

_Akane, this is all your fault! Why did you come here without me? Why didn't you wait for me? Don't you dare die on me! _

His body began to shake lightly with anger, sadness and relief combined as tears slowly fell from the corners of his eyes. Brushing them away quickly, he placed an arm under her legs and another behind her back, cradling her in his arms as he picked her up and carried her over to her camp on the other bank.

Mindless of the blood stains she left on his own clothes, he began to cut away the fabric of her shirt that covered her wound, and dug through her bag until he found the first aid kit. _Thank goodness she at least had the sense to bring this... _

Blushing slightly as he pushed up her bra just a little to reach the very edge of her wound, he began preparing to treat her. He fetched water from the stream and kept it in a basin, then grabbed a piece of cloth to wet and wash her wound with. Once this was done, he used the ointment in the package, then remembered what she had come here for: the herbs! He went to fetch them, treated her with them, then carefully bandaged her with all the bandages in the kit. There were barely enough, so he took one of her extra shirts and tore it into strips to use when he would need to change the bandage, hoping that the bleeding would stop soon.

A muted groan of pain escaped from her lips as he lifted her up to finish the bandages, then set her back down. His heart cried out to her, and he wished he could spare her the pain she was feeling. Unsure if it would actually work, he fed her a couple petals from the white flower, hoping it would relieve the pain.

He was about to tuck her into her blankets when he realized she could not sleep in bloodstained clothes. Feeling awkward, his face turning bright red, he began to undress her carefully. _She would kill me if she knew I was doing this...oh man... _Once she was topless, he carefully removed her skirt (leaving her underwear intact), and held her in his arms for a moment.

_She's really beautiful when she's not yelling , _he realized. He brushed his hands through the silky strands of her hair, unable to stop himself, and turned a brighter shade of red. He desperately wanted to hold her close to him, but was afraid of hurting her. Taking a thin blanket from the place where she slept, he wrapped it around her, then wrapped the thicker blanket over that to stop her from shivering.

Once that was taken care of, he set out a place for himself to sleep next to her inside the tent and lay beside her, watching her to make sure she was okay. Feelings of restlessness stirred inside him, and he decided to make sure she would survive the night by staying awake at her side. He built up a fire in the middle of the camp, sat cross-legged in front of her, and watched her as long as he could until he eventually fell over from exhaustion in the middle of the night.

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Late the next morning, Ranma woke up only to discover that Akane was still asleep. He prepared some of the food Kasumi had made, and tried to wash out Akane's clothes, though the stains wouldn't go away and not much of the clothes were left intact... The entire day however, along with the next 2, she never woke up once, and Ranma was gripped with the fear that she might never wake up again.

He regularly dressed her wounds, and it seemed to slowly but steadily be healing. Though still unconscious, he tried to get her to eat, without success. She did drink what little water he managed to get into her mouth, which restored his hope in her recovery.

During his free time the second day, he built graves for the reporter and cameraman he had seen, buried them and made wooden crosses for them, decorating them with flowers.

When he returned to the tent, Akane's face was bright red with a fever, and once again Ranma stayed beside her the rest of the night, putting a wet towel on her forehead. Much the same thing happened the next day until dusk began to set in on the third day after her injury.

The fever had cooled down, and Ranma began eating some of the food left. _I'm lucky Kasumi packed so much... _

Suddenly, Akane began thrashing around in her sleep. Her fists tightened, sweat appeared on her brow, and though her fever did not return, her brow creased and she struggled helplessly as she lay asleep. Ranma stuffed the rest of his food in his mouth then went over to see what was wrong. She kept twisting from side to side, with a terrified look plastered on her usually calm sleeping face.

Unsure of what to do next, Ranma sat down beside her and whispered: "Akane... It's okay, it's going to be alright..."

He took one of her clenched fists in his hand, and held it in his own. Slowly, her fist relaxed and she entwined her fingers with his. Her violent movements did not cease, but seemed to appease a little the more Ranma talked to her. He felt her shaking beside him, and gathered her into his arms and across his lap. Resting her head on his shoulder, he continued; "It's okay, everything will be okay... You're safe, I will protect you Akane. I will never let anything happen to you."

_She must be in some really bad dream... Please, calm down Akane...Man she's even violent in her sleep... _

Akane's lips parted slightly and trembled as she talked in her sleep.

"H...H-h-help....please...."

"Shhhh.... Everything will be okay...Just hold on Akane..."

He stroked her head calmingly and wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in his warmth and hoping she felt more calm and reassured this way.

She calmed down much more visibly in his warmth, and he let out a sigh of relief. To his surprise, in her sleep she continued whispering: "R..R-Ranma.......Ranma... Ranma, I....... but........Ranma..." finishing with a sigh.

With her lips slightly parted, and her body naturally curving around his for warmth, Ranma felt a strong desire to kiss Akane. It overpowered his senses and before he knew what he was doing, he bent down and placed his lips against hers. She was warm, pliant and soft, and her lips relaxed against his. She drew him in without even realizing what she was doing, and he couldn't stop himself. She tasted sweet and he yearned to delve deeper. His tongue slowly drew the contour of her lips, then edged inside to caress her mouth softly.

She sighed once more, then relaxed against Ranma, giving him free reign over her. Her grip on his arm tightened as she clung to him like a lifeline, pressing herself against him tightly. Ranma suppressed a groan in his throat as he reigned in his control. Still playing with her mouth with his lips and tongue, he wrapped an arm around her delicate waist to ensure he never hurt her.

Suddenly, Akane began responding, and her small, soft tongue began playing with his.

Ranma quickly regained his senses. _What am I doing? If she wakes up, she's going to be so pissed, and she's going to say this is all my fault... _

Slowly he pulled himself away and lay her back down on her bed in the tent. She made a small whimpering protest at the absence of his warmth, then lay still, her breathing returning to normal.

Ranma left the tent as quietly as possible and headed to the river, taking a handful of water and splashing it onto his face.

_Man... what am I getting myself into... _His fingers touched his lips, where he could still feel the imprint, warmth and softness of Akane's lips. Lately, as he had been taking care of Akane, he had grown so used to being around her. Her calm, relaxed face was so beautiful and peaceful. He wanted to touch her, caress her cheek, kiss her soft pink lips, feel her curves against him, as if she was melting into him.... No, he wasn't allowed to think that way. Then again, was he? He was her fiancé after all...

_Damn, I need to think about something else! Maybe I should take a bath..._ _Cold water will probably help... _

He quickly removed his clothes and waded towards the deep part of the river, washing himself quickly and cooling himself off so he wouldn't think of Akane, lying beckoningly in the tent with her sweet sleeping face.

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Once she got through the dark tunnel of dreams, she fell into a deeper sleep, reliving the past attack in her dream. Except in this one, Ranma was there, and he was hurt, and it was her fault. She was fighting her hardest trying to save him, but all she did was get in the way, or get hurt. She grew panicked and restless, and she neared consciousness without even realizing that she was dreaming. Her fists tightened as she braced herself for the fight to come. She approached the monster, but it simply knocked her away. Determined, she pulled herself up again.

"Ranma" she cried through her sleepy haze... Suddenly he was beside her, telling her to stay out of the fight. He squeezed her hand. _This feels so real... _she thought. "Ranma..." she cried again.

"Stay out of this Akane!" he yelled to her.

Distressed, she continued: "I... but... Ranma!"

His lips descended on hers, and slowly she drifted into consciousness, waking to find herself wrapped in Ranma's arms, with his lips on hers. Without even opening her eyes, she could recognize his scent, the feel of his clothing, and his present warmth...

_He's safe... This is a wonderful dream... Ranma I'm so glad you're here...And you're not mad at me... Forgive me... _

She leaned into him and he slowly explored her mouth. He felt so strong, with his arms protectively wrapped around her. She felt more safe here than anywhere else in the world. And at the same time she couldn't calm the rapid beating of her heart and desire to touch him and caress him back... tentatively, she began moving her tongue against his, strong and yet yielding to her touch. Somewhat startled, he carefully pulled away and laid her down, and Akane resumed her deep sleep.

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Let me know what you think! Should I put more up? ;) I know they seem to be more open about their feelings, but that's because I tried to put them in a situation where their concern for the other would override their pride and shyness. Though they don't even realize how much they're showing, what with Akane just sleeping XD. Much feedback appreciated!


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